Wagon-tongue



E. GUNDERSON.

WAGON TONGUE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 11110.24, 190a.

Patented Oct. 5,v 1909.

anventor awnup UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN GUNDERSON, OF SCANDINAVIA, WISCONSIN.

WAGON-TONGUE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN GUNnnRsoN, citizen of the United States, residing at Scandinavia, in the county of VVaupaca and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVagoir Tongues, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wagon tongues, and has for an object to provide a wagon tongue-end that will carry a neck-yoke ring and insure against the catching of the driving lines upon the tongue-end.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wagon tongue-end so constructed that the neck-yoke ring can not be removed from the tongue-end when in an upright position, but only when in an inverted position.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In wagon tongues heretofore constructed the neck-yoke ring has engaged a stud or brace upon the bottom of the tongue, and the tongue-end has protruded beyond the brace upon which the interior guiding lines operated by the driver of the vehicle have been liable to loop or catch. In my invention I provide means of overcoming this objectio In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 represents a side view of one end of the tongue with the present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the neck-yoke hook and associated parts embodying certain features of the invention. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with the ring removed. Fig. 4 is a section through Fig. 1 approximately on line 44, the ring being removed to a lowered and inverted position as shown in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a detail perspec- L-ive view of an adjustable side plate.

Referring to the drawings by numerals 2 represents a wagon tongue which is ordiiarily constructed of wood.

3 represents a neck-yoke ring, and 4 repesents a tongue hook, adapted to receive'the 'ing 3, which projects beyond the tonguend 2. The tongue hook 4 is constructed of metal and is integral with the head 5 and he top and bottom straps 6 and 7 which orm means for connecting the device to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 24, 1908.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909. Serial No. 469,176.

tongue-end 2. The straps 6 and 7 are riveted to the tongue end 2 by bolts 8 and 9. Upon the bottom of the strap 7 is provided a lug or stud 10 which extends downwardly beyond the line of the hook 4 so that if the tongue is dropped upon the ground the stud 10 will receive the shock and prevent the bending or breaking of the hook 4. The head 5 is provided with corrugations 12 positioned on the sides thereof, and at the front end of the strap 7. The bottom strap 7 is also provided with a cavity or curved portion 13 which together with the hook 4 forms a curved passage-way for the neck yoke ring 3.

Adjustable side plates 11 are positioned upon each side of the tongue-end 2. The adjustable side plates 11 are provided with slots 14 and are secured to the tongue-end 2 by means of bolts 15 and 16. The bolt 15 passes through the tongue-end 2 and the slot 14 in the adjustable side plates 11, and the side plates 11 being pivotally mounted on the bolt 16 are raised or lowered and clamped in any desired position by the head of the bolt 15. The side plates 11 are provided with corrugations 17 which engage the corrugations 12 of the head 5, and hold the 'adjustable side plates 11 against vertical movement when clamped by the bolt 15. The adjustable side plates 11 are also provided with downwardly and outwardly extending flared portions 18, and the downwardly and outwardly extending fiared portions 18 on their inner surface are provided with curved portions 19. The radius of the curved portions 13 and 19 are substantially the same as the radius of the neck-yoke ring 3.

In applying the neck-yoke ring 3 to the hook 4 the ring is first passed beneath the curved portion 13 of the bottom strap 7 and over the hook 4 until the same has passed beyond the adjustable side extension 11, and is then raised into engagement with the head 5. When the vehicle is traveling and the neck-yoke ring in service it is impossible for the neck-yoke ring to become disengaged. In order to remove the neckyoke ring 3 it is first necessary to invert the same, as when in an upright position the curve of the ring extends in an opposite direction to the curve 13 of the bottom strap 7, and the ring 3 is thereby prevented from being removed from the hook 4. As the flared portions 18 of the adjustable side plates 11 extend beyond the inner end of the hook i and also project outwardly to a greater width than the width of the hook a it will be readily seen that the driving lines cannot become "engaged by the hook 4:, as the flared portions 18 act as guards to keep the lines away from the end of the hook 4:.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s- 1. In a wagon tongue, atongue hea d formed with ahook, means for attaching said tongue head to said wagon tongue so that the hook will project beyond the end of the tongue and side plates secured to said tongue formed with flaring portions that project on each side of said hook whereby the neck yoke ring may be inserted and re- I sage way which will permit the neck yoke ring to pass over the hook only when in an inverted position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN GUNDERSON.

\Vitnesses J. ENGWALD NoseY, A. R. WATER-HOUSE. 

